Meatball Subs

Cook Time: 32 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup (3 handfuls), Italian bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons (several drops) Worcestershire sauce,
1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) grated Parmigiano or Romano
Coarse salt and black pepper

5 Minute Marinara Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, (2 turns around the pan)
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
A handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, about 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28 ounces) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 ounces) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 semolina crusty sub rolls, with or without sesame seeds
1 (10-ounce) bag (2 1/2 cups) shredded provolone or Italian 4-cheese blend
Shredded basil (sweet) or shredded arugula (spicy) leaves, for garnish
Oven fries, as an accompaniment, recipe follows


Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.


Place ground sirloin in a large mixing bowl and punch a well into the center of meat. Fill well with the egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire, parsley, cheese, and a little salt and pepper. Mix up meatball ingredients until well combined, yet not over-mixed. Divide mix into 4 equal parts, roll each part into 4 balls and space equally onto a nonstick baking sheet. Place meatballs in oven and roast about 12 minutes. Break a meatball open and make sure meat is cooked through before removing from the oven.


Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. When garlic starts sizzling, add herbs and crushed pepper. Allow oil to infuse for half a minute, then stir in the tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer until meatballs are removed from oven.


Combine meatballs and sauce and pile into sub rolls, 4 meatballs per sub. Top with shredded cheese and place under subs under broiler to melt cheese. Top with shredded basil or arugula and serve with a pile of oven fries, recipe follows.


Oven Fries:

4 medium white skinned potatoes, each cut into 8 wedges lengthwise
Extra-virgin olive oil, to coat
Grill seasoning blend or coarse salt and black pepper


Drizzle potatoes with a generous pour of extra-virgin olive oil. Toss potatoes with seasoning blend or coarse salt and pepper. Place potatoes on a nonstick baking sheet and roast 20 minutes or until just tender. Give the baking sheet a good shake after 10 minutes to avoid sticking.


From: foodnetwork.com

Big Beef Meatballs with Bucatini

Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Yield : 4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
* 2 small to medium yellow onion, 1 grated and 1 finely chopped
* 6 cloves garlic, chopped, divided
* 1 egg
* 1/2 to 2/3 cup Italian bread crumbs, a couple of overflowing handfuls
* 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus some to pass at table
* 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or nutmeg
* 3 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
* 2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves, 4 to 6 sprigs
* A couple generous handfuls flat-leaf parsley, chopped, divided
* Salt and pepper
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
* 1 pound bucatini (thick, hollow spaghetti)
* 1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
* 12 baby portobello caps, (crimini mushrooms), chopped
* 1/2 cup dry red wine, eyeball it
* 1 cup, (8 ounces), beef stock
* 1 (28-ounce), can crushed tomatoes, San Marzano if available

Directions

Preheat 400 degrees F. Place a large pot of water over high heat and
bring to a boil.

Mix meat with the grated onion, 3 cloves chopped garlic, egg, bread
crumbs, cheese, allspice, capers, sage, a handful of the chopped
parsley, salt and pepper and a healthy drizzle of extra-virgin olive
oil. Mix meat, score the meat into 4 sections and make 3 very large
balls from each section. Arrange the 12 balls on a nonstick cookie
sheet and roast 15 minutes until firm but not hard.

Drop bucatini in salted boiling water to cook off. Drain.

Add another tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet and
the pancetta. Cook 3 to 4 minutes then add the remaining garlic and
mushrooms to the pan and cook 5 minutes. Season the mushrooms with
salt and pepper. Add remaining chopped onion and deglaze the pan with
wine, cook off 1 minute, add in stock and whisk up remaining
drippings. Stir in the tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper,
if necessary. Stir in parsley. Simmer 5 minutes.

Toss pasta with half the sauce. Remove balls from oven and add to
remaining sauce and turn to coat. Serve large balls, 3 per person,
along side pasta. Spoon any remaining sauce over the pasta. Pass extra
cheese at the tables.

From: foodnetwork.com

Chicken Parm Meatball Subs

Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
* 1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak
Seasoning by McCormick)
* 1 large egg
* 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
* 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
* Handful of chopped parsley leaves
* Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus, plus 3
tablespoons, 3 turns of the pan
* 2 large cloves garlic, cracked from skin and split
* 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, a healthy couple of pinches
* 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
* 1 cup chicken stock
* Salt
* Pepper
* 8 to 10 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded
* 4 (6 to 8-inch) crusty sub rolls
* 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place chicken in a bowl and season with grill seasoning. Add egg, half
of the grated cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, and a serious drizzle of
extra-virgin olive oil to the bowl. Mix the meat and form 12 large
meatballs. Squish the balls to flatten them a bit like mini oval
meatloaves. Be careful not to form the balls wider than your bread.
The flattened balls will stay put on your sub, no roll-aways! Bake the
meatballs 15 minutes until golden and firm. Switch the broiler on.

While the meatballs bake, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and cook 5 minutes
then remove the cloves. Add crushed red pepper flakes then tomatoes
and stir in the chicken stock. Season the sauce with salt and pepper
and simmer 10 minutes, adjust seasonings and stir in the basil.
Reserve a extra sauce for dipping on dinner table.

Remove the meat from oven and loosen with a thin spatula. Turn meat
balls in sauce.

Cut sub rolls making the bottom a little deeper than the top. Hollow
out a little bread and lightly toast the sub rolls under broiler. Fill
the bottoms of the breads with flattened balls and sauce. Combine the
provolone and remaining Parmigiano. Cover the subs with cheese and
return to broiler to melt the cheese until golden.

From: foodnetwork.com

Gorgonzola Filled Meatballs, Bay and Onion Creamy Tomato Gravy

Cook Time: 30 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 pounds ground veal
* 1 pound ground beef
* Salt and pepper
* 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
* 1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
* 2 handfuls grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
* 2 handfuls plain bread crumbs
* 3 tablespoons sliced or finely chopped sage leaves
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 8 ounces Gorgonzola
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 2 fresh bay leaves
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 1 cup chicken stock
* 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* 1/2 cup cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place meat in a mixing bowl and season with salt, pepper, add in
garlic, eggs, cheese, bread crumbs and sage. Mix meat, roll into 8
large balls and arrange in a baking dish. Coat balls with 2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Using the end of a wooden spoon,
make an indentation half way into each ball and fill the cavity with
some Gorgonzola. Bake until golden and cooked through, 15 to 20
minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and butter in a sauce pot
over medium heat, add bay and onions and season with salt and pepper.
Add chicken stock and tomatoes and heat through, stir in cream, reduce
heat to medium-low and simmer to thicken slightly 8 to 10 minutes.

Ladle sauce into shallow bowls and top with big stuffed meatballs and
potatoes alongside, if desired.